The SSU and the National Police foiled an attempt by russian intelligence services to carry out a terrorist attack against Ukrainian law enforcement officers in Zhytomyr.

As a result of the operation, two enemy agents were apprehended as they were preparing to blow up a police unit that was to arrive at a fake call to 102, the police line.

To commit the attack, the perpetrators rented an apartment in Zhytomyr in advance and installed two improvised explosive devices there.

One of the IEDs was hidden in a plush toy, and the other was connected to a mobile phone whose camera filmed the entrance to the apartment.

Using remote access to this phone, the enemy planned to activate both IEDs when the police entered the room through the open door.

By this time, the agents were to leave the rented apartment and hide in a hotel room waiting for further instructions from their russian handler.

The SSU was proactive: all the preparations for the terrorist attack were documented and both suspects were detained in the hotel room immediately after the call to the National Police hotline.

The detained are two residents of Dnipropetrovsk region, whom russia remotely recruited on Telegram channels. There, the agents-to-be were looking for easy money.

On the occupiers’ orders, the young men arrived in Zhytomyr by bus. Via a messenger app, they received the geolocation of the cache and took two packages with explosive devices from it for the terrorist attack.

The forensic examination established that the IEDs were packed in thermoses and filled with stones to increase the destructive effect in case of detonation.

SSU investigators notified the detainees of suspicion under Articles 15.2, 258.2 of the CCU (completed attempted terrorist act, upon prior conspiracy).

The suspects are in custody and face up to 12 years in prison with confiscation of property.